Slow Jazz
by lord-of-all-kobuns
Summary: A follow-up to Beauty in Everything. Viola and Kristoph spend a nice evening together.


Kristoph Gavin had never been one for holidays. To him, holidays had no special meaning. They were simply another workday. The one holiday Kristoph could not stand was Valentine's Day. It was just a lot of immature persons, dashing about, handing out flimsy paper cards and miniature chocolate bars, and refusing to grow up. Ridiculous.

This year, however, he felt differently. He had met Viola Cadaverini last summer, while he was on his way to a meeting with a client. The next day, she had invited him to dinner, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Recently he and Viola hadn't been seeing a lot of each other, as he was tied up with clients and she had to tend the shop.

One day, while he was finishing some paperwork, a call came to him from his secretary.

"There's someone here to see you, Mr. Gavin," the secretary's voice came through the intercom.

"Right, right, send them in," Kristoph responded without taking his eyes off his work.

The door opened, and Viola walked in, holding a paper bag.

"Viola?" Kristoph asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted…to see you again," she replied. "And I wanted…to give you these."

She held out the bag, which Kristoph took.

"I made them especially for you," she said, as Kristoph reached inside and pulled out a sugar cookie, decorated with a black heart.

"Thank you, Viola," Kristoph said, smiling his incredible smile and returning to his work. "I hope to see you again, but right now I have work to do."

Viola stood there for a second before leaving. As soon as the door closed, Kristoph took one of the cookies and sampled it. It was very tasty.

A few hours later, it was time to go. As he packed his briefcase, he glanced at the calendar on the wall. It was February 13th. He set out, saying goodbye to his secretary, and headed off to his home.

Many shops were still open despite the lateness of the hour. Each had a large sign advertising sales, and a few even had someone standing in the doorway, beckoning the late night wanderers to enter. Kristoph started out by ignoring everything, but gradually his curiosity was piqued. He glanced up as he was passing a flower shop to see a large pink sign advertising a rose sale. On a whim, Kristoph went inside.

It was a small shop, with almost every inch of wall space devoted to flowers. Kristoph walked up to the counter and bought a bunch of roses. After paying, he turned heel and left. There was one more thing he wanted to do before retiring for the night.

---

The next day, Kristoph called Viola at work.

"Hello?" her voice came in on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Viola," Kristoph said. "It's Kristoph. Are you doing anything tonight?"

"N-no," Viola replied. "Why?"

"Well, since we haven't seen each other much because of work, I was thinking that maybe we could go out tonight," Kristoph replied, his usual gentlemanly air faltering slightly.

"That sounds…wonderful. When should I expect you?"

"Oh, about seven. Wear something nice."

And he hung up the phone.

At precisely seven-o'-clock, dressed in a black suit and bow tie, he entered the shop Viola owned, roses in hand. Going behind the counter, he climbed the stairs and rang the doorbell for Viola's flat. Viola answered almost immediately. She looked stunning in a flowing black dress and a pearl necklace.

"You look beautiful, my dear," Kristoph said, presenting the roses to Viola.

"Thank you, Sir Gavin," Viola replied, giggling.

When they had exited the shop, Kristoph walked purposefully in the direction of the town.

"Where are we headed?" Viola asked curiously, following Kristoph.

"You'll see," Kristoph said, smiling slightly.

About ten minutes later, he stopped in front of the music hall. From within a pocket in his trousers, Kristoph withdrew two tickets and gave them to the usher. The usher showed them to their seats and handed them both a program.

"The Metamorphosis Jazz Band," Viola read out. She turned with glowing face to Kristoph, who smiled at her.

"I thought you might like it," he whispered.

"I do," she whispered back, and settled in her seat as the band started to play and the hall was filled with slow jazz.

It was a very pleasant concert. Midway through the eighth number, Viola turned to Kristoph again.

"This is…a beautiful piece," she said. Kristoph nodded his assent.

"It's called The Fragrance of Dark Coffee," he said. "It is quite good…"

Viola shifted in her seat before leaning against Kristoph, allowing their hands to intertwine. Kristoph made no objection, and they stayed this way for the rest of the concert.

As they stepped out into the cold night, Kristoph looked at Viola.

"How would you like…to come home with me tonight?" he asked.

Viola paused.

"I would like that very much," she replied.

---

Really, Kristoph thought later that night as he listened to Viola's slow breathing beside him, Valentine's Day wasn't so bad after all…


End file.
